α-Fe2O3 nanocubes/Ti3C2Tx MXene composites for improvement of acetone sensing performance at room temperature

MXene combining with metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) can improve carrier transfer rate, inhibit agglomeration, and promote the improvement of gas-sensing performance. In this article, the heterogeneous composites of alpha-Fe2O3 and Ti3C2Tx MXene were successfully synthesized through a facile hydrothermal route, and characterized the morphology and microstructure by various characterizations. The results revealed that the alpha-Fe2O3 nanocubes with sizes of around 250 nm in width were prepared and uniformly distributed to the surface of the Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheet. Gas-sensing test results illustrated that the alpha-Fe2O3/Ti3C2Tx MXene composites-based sensor exhibited outstanding selectivity to acetone compared with other typical gases, and illustrated a high response (16.6% to 5 ppm acetone), the fast response and recovery speeds (5/5 s), superb linearity and prominent repeatability at room temperature (RT). Furthermore, the gas-sensing mechanism of the alpha-Fe2O3/Ti3C2Tx MXene sensor toward acetone is discussed by density functional theory (DFT) calculation. This work is expected to provide useful reference to develop other promising hybrids for acetone sensing at RT.